During neurotransmitter release, the neuronal SNARE proteins synaptobrevin/VAMP, syntaxin, and SNAP-25 form a four-helix bundle, the SNARE complex, that pulls the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes together possibly causing membrane fusion. Complexin binds tightly to the SNARE complex and is essential for efficient Ca(2+)-evoked neurotransmitter release. A combined X-ray and TROSY-based NMR study now reveals the atomic structure of the complexin/SNARE complex. Complexin binds in an antiparallel alpha-helical conformation to the groove between the synaptobrevin and syntaxin helices. This interaction stabilizes the interface between these two helices, which bears the repulsive forces between the apposed membranes. These results suggest that complexin stabilizes the fully assembled SNARE complex as a key step that enables the exquisitely high speed of Ca(2+)-evoked neurotransmitter release.

The conserved formin homology 2 (FH2) domain nucleates actin filaments and remains bound to the barbed end of the growing filament. Here we report the crystal structure of the yeast Bni1p FH2 domain in complex with tetramethylrhodamine-actin. Each of the two structural units in the FH2 dimer binds two actins in an orientation similar to that in an actin filament, suggesting that this structure could function as a filament nucleus. Biochemical properties of heterodimeric FH2 mutants suggest that the wild-type protein equilibrates between two bound states at the barbed end: one permitting monomer binding and the other permitting monomer dissociation. Interconversion between these states allows processive barbed-end polymerization and depolymerization in the presence of bound FH2 domain. Kinetic and/or thermodynamic differences in the conformational and binding equilibria can explain the variable activity of different FH2 domains as well as the effects of the actin-binding protein profilin on FH2 function.

Cytochrome P450s constitute a superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the oxidation of a vast number of structurally and chemically diverse hydrophobic substrates. Herein, we describe the crystal structure of a complex between the bacterial P450BM-3 and the novel substrate N-palmitoylglycine at a resolution of 1.65 A, which reveals previously unrecognizable features of active site reorganization upon substrate binding. N-palmitoylglycine binds with higher affinity than any other known substrate and reacts with a higher turnover number than palmitic acid but with unaltered regiospecificity along the fatty acid moiety. Substrate binding induces conformational changes in distinct regions of the enzyme including part of the I-helix adjacent to the active site. These changes cause the displacement by about 1 A of the pivotal water molecule that ligands the heme iron, resulting in the low-spin to high-spin conversion of the iron. The water molecule is trapped close to the heme group, which allows it to partition between the iron and the new binding site. This partitioning explains the existence of a high-spin-low-spin equilibrium after substrate binding. The close proximity of the water molecule to the heme iron indicates that it may also participate in the proton-transfer cascade that leads to heterolytic bond scission of oxygen in P450BM-3.

No abstract

Histone methylation regulates diverse chromatin-templated processes, including transcription. Many transcriptional corepressor complexes contain lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) and CoREST that collaborate to demethylate mono- and dimethylated H3-K4 of nucleosomes. Here, we report the crystal structure of the LSD1-CoREST complex. LSD1-CoREST forms an elongated structure with a long stalk connecting the catalytic domain of LSD1 and the CoREST SANT2 domain. LSD1 recognizes a large segment of the H3 tail through a deep, negatively charged pocket at the active site and possibly a shallow groove on its surface. CoREST SANT2 interacts with DNA. Disruption of the SANT2-DNA interaction diminishes CoREST-dependent demethylation of nucleosomes by LSD1. The shape and dimension of LSD1-CoREST suggest its bivalent binding to nucleosomes, allowing efficient H3-K4 demethylation. This spatially separated, multivalent nucleosome binding mode may apply to other chromatin-modifying enzymes that generally contain multiple nucleosome binding modules.